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Local Agency Formation Commission

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Local Agency Formation Commissions or LAFCOs are regional service planning agencies of the State of California . LAFCOs are located in all 58 counties and exercise regulatory and planning powers in step with their prescribed directive to oversee the establishment, expansion, governance, and dissolution of local government agencies and their municipal service areas to meet current and future community needs. LAFCOs were established in 1963 and administer a section of California planning law now known as the Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg Local Government Reorganization Act of 2001.

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47-655: LAFCOs' regulatory powers are outlined in California Government Code Sections 56375 and 56133. This include approving, establishing, expanding, reorganizing, and, in limited circumstances, dissolving cities and special districts. LAFCOs are also responsible for approving all outside service extensions by contract or agreement beginning in 2001. LAFCOs' regulatory powers are generally exercised in response to applications filed by other local agencies, landowners, or registered voters. LAFCOs' are also allowed to initiate certain proposals if consistent with

94-567: A $ 7.9 billion annual budget and 25,430 employees. The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors has 5 members elected from their districts: Other County of San Bernardino Elected Officials In the United States House of Representatives , San Bernardino County is split among 6 congressional districts: In the California State Assembly , San Bernardino County is split among 10 assembly districts: In

141-743: A 2020 population that was 53.7% Hispanic, it is California's most populous majority-Hispanic county and the second-largest nationwide. The indigenous peoples that resided in what is now San Bernardino County were primarily the Taaqtam (Serrano) and ʔívil̃uqaletem (Cahuilla) peoples who lived in the San Bernardino Valley and the San Bernardino Mountains ; the Chemehuevi and the Kawaiisu peoples who lived in

188-576: A city ever to be brought before a vote by LAFCO was the San Fernando Valley in the early 2000s, which was denied. No detachments from a city have been successful in the state since 1947. LAFCOs are governed by a commission consisting of appointed elected officials representing the county board of supervisors, city councils, and - at least for most - special district directors. (Not all LAFCOs have special district representation). The appointed elected officials on LAFCO also appoint members from

235-459: A household in the county was $ 42,066, and the median income for a family was $ 46,574. Males had a median income of $ 37,025 versus $ 27,993 for females. The per capita income for the county was $ 16,856. About 12.6% of families and 15.80% of the population were below the poverty line , including 20.6% of those under age 18 and 8.4% of those age 65 or over. As of 2021, the Board of Supervisors oversees

282-567: A majority and by double digits as well as Hillary Clinton in 2016 . The Democratic Party also carried the county in 2008 and 2012 , when Barack Obama won majorities of the county's votes, and in 1992 and 1996 , when Bill Clinton won pluralities. Republican George W. Bush took the county in 2000 by a plurality and in 2004 by a majority. The county is split between heavily Latino, middle-class, and Democratic areas and wealthier conservative areas. The heavily Latino cities of Ontario and San Bernardino went for John Kerry in 2004 but with

329-453: A recommendation from its own planning studies, such as establishing, consolidating, or dissolving special districts. LAFCOs' planning responsibilities are explicit to informing their regulatory powers and highlighted by establishing spheres of influence for all cities and special districts. Spheres of influence represent the State of California's version of municipal growth boundaries and demark

376-452: A relatively low voter turnout. In 2006, San Bernardino's population exceeded 201,000, and in 2004, only 42,520 votes were cast in the city; that same year, strongly Republican Rancho Cucamonga had over 145,000 residents, of whom 53,054 voted. In the 1980s, Northern San Bernardino County proposed to create Mojave County due to the abysmal service levels the county provided. Ultimately, the vote for county secession failed. The proposed county

423-689: A saint; Merced County and Los Angeles County, both of whose names refer to Saint Mary (Our Lady of Mercy (Merced) and Our Lady Queen of The Angels (Los Angeles)); and Ventura County, whose name is a shortening of the name of St. Bonaventure , the namesake of the local mission. San Bernardino County, California San Bernardino County ( / s æ n ˌ b ɜːr n ə ˈ d iː n oʊ / SAN BUR -nə- DEE -noh ), officially

470-519: Is also slightly larger than Switzerland . It borders both Nevada and Arizona . The bulk of the population, nearly two million, live in the roughly 480 square miles south of the San Bernardino Mountains adjacent to Riverside and in the San Bernardino Valley in the southwestern portion of the county. About 390,000 residents live just north of the San Bernardino Mountains, in and around the roughly 280 square-mile area that includes

517-491: Is at the eastern end of the San Gabriel Valley . The San Bernardino Valley includes the cities of Ontario , Chino , Chino Hills , Upland , Fontana , Rialto , Colton , Grand Terrace , Montclair , Rancho Cucamonga , San Bernardino , Loma Linda , Highland , Redlands , and Yucaipa . More than 80% of the county's land is owned by the federal government. There are at least 35 official wilderness areas in

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564-489: Is granted limited home rule powers. Of the 58 counties in California, 14 are governed under a charter. They are Alameda, Butte, El Dorado, Fresno, Los Angeles, Orange, Placer, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Tehama. Nine counties in California are named for saints, tied with Louisiana for the largest number. This count omits Santa Cruz ("Holy Cross") County, not named for

611-596: Is home to San Bernardino County , the largest county in the contiguous United States, as well as Los Angeles County , the most populous county in the United States. The counties of California are local arms of the State of California , described by the Supreme Court of California as agents ("the county is merely a political subdivision of state government, exercising only the powers of the state, granted by

658-825: The California State Legislature . Their current legal authority and mandate are defined by the Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg Local Government Reorganization Act of 2000 (Government Code Section 56000 et seq ). LAFCOs' powers and duties have expanded in step with subsequent legislation and most recently include regulating cities and districts' ability to provide services outside their jurisdictional boundaries by contract or agreement. LAFCOs also must approve requests by districts to either expand their service powers and/or divest existing service powers. LAFCOs have both regulatory and planning authority: Under

705-476: The California State Senate , San Bernardino County is split among 7 districts: San Bernardino County is a county in which candidates from both major political parties have won in recent elections. Republican Donald Trump carried the country in 2024 , flipping it for the first time in a presidential race since 2004 . In past presidential elections, Democrat Joe Biden carried the county by

752-553: The County of San Bernardino and sometimes abbreviated as S.B. County , is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California , and is located within the Inland Empire area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census , the population was 2,181,654, making it the fifth-most populous county in California and the 14th-most populous in the United States. The county seat is San Bernardino . While included within

799-592: The Greater Los Angeles area, San Bernardino County is included in the Riverside–San Bernardino–Ontario metropolitan statistical area. With an area of 20,105 square miles (52,070 km ), San Bernardino County is the largest county in the contiguous United States by area, although some of Alaska's boroughs and census areas are larger. The county is close to the size of West Virginia . This vast county stretches from where 93% of

846-671: The Mojave Desert region; and the 'Aha Makhav (Mohave) and the Piipaash (Maricopa) peoples who lived along the Colorado River . These groups established various villages and settlements throughout the region that were interconnected by a series of extensive trails. Wa'aachnga was a major Tongva village site, also occupied by the Serrano and Cahuilla , located near what is now the city of San Bernardino . The village

893-491: The U.S. Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 20,105 square miles (52,070 km ), of which 20,057 square miles (51,950 km ) is land and 48 square miles (120 km ) (0.2%) is water. It is the largest county by area in California and the largest in the United States (excluding boroughs in Alaska ). It is slightly larger than the states of New Jersey , Connecticut , Delaware and Rhode Island combined, and

940-658: The Upland Fire Department in July 2017. As of April 2019 the City of Victorville declined to renew their contract with The San Bernardino County Fire Department. The current district attorney is Jason Anderson, who was elected in March 2018 and took office on January 1, 2019. The following table includes the number of incidents reported and the rate per 1,000 persons for each type of offense. On December 2, 2015, in

987-463: The Victor Valley . Roughly another 100,000 people live scattered across the rest of the sprawling county. The Mojave National Preserve covers some of the eastern desert, especially between Interstate 15 and Interstate 40 . The desert portion also includes the cities of Needles next to the Colorado River and Barstow at the junction of Interstate 15 and Interstate 40 . Trona is at

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1034-478: The census of 2000, there were 1,709,434 people, 528,594 households, and 404,374 families residing in the county. The population density was 85 inhabitants per square mile (33/km ). There were 601,369 housing units at an average density of 30 per square mile (12/km ). The racial makeup of the county was 58.9% White , 9.1% African American , 1.2% Native American , 4.7% Asian , 0.3% Pacific Islander , 20.8% from other races , and 5.0% from two or more races. 39.2% of

1081-603: The California Constitution to ban same-sex marriages. From 2004 to 2016, the county was embroiled in a corruption scandal over the Colonies housing development in Upland with real estate developer Jeff Burum. The scandal resulted in $ 102 million being paid to Burum's real estate company. Supervisor Bill Postmus pleaded guilty to 10 felonies in regard to his previous post as county assessor. In 2020, Burum sued

1128-612: The agency administrator and responsible for making recommendations on all jurisdictional changes within the county. Larger LAFCOs - typically in the San Francisco Bay Area and Southern California - are staffed with three to ten employees plus outside consultants. The largest LAFCO in California in terms of both staff and budget is San Diego with 10 staff members and an operating budget of over $ 2.0 million. They were established in 1963 in all California counties except San Francisco , which would obtain one only in 2001, by

1175-447: The agency, no community within an incorporated city has ever been granted city status. That is partially because the Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg Local Government Reorganization Act of 2000 makes it difficult for communities to break away from their original cities, as the community must gain approval from the city from which it is detaching, and it requires two thirds of the entire community and re-affected city to agree. The only community within

1222-699: The county again and the county reached for a $ 69 million settlement. 2022, the county's insurance company, Ironside, balked at paying the settlement, claiming that the county willfully "retaliate[d] against the Colonies II Plaintiffs as part of a decades-long dispute over land and water rights in Upland, California, culminating in a malicious prosecution of Burum." In 2020, voters approved Measure K, which limited county supervisors to one term instead of three, while reducing pay from 250 thousand dollars to 60 thousand dollars. County Supervisors appealed

1269-668: The county near the High Desert area, in the vicinity of Twentynine Palms . The remaining towns make up the remainder of the High Desert: Pioneertown , Yucca Valley , Joshua Tree , Landers , and Morongo Valley . The mountains are home to the San Bernardino National Forest , and include the communities of Crestline , Lake Arrowhead , Running Springs , Big Bear City , Forest Falls , and Big Bear Lake . The San Bernardino Valley

1316-459: The county population resides in three Census County Divisions (Fontana, San Bernardino, and Victorville-Hesperia), counting 1,793,186 people as of the 2010 Census, covering 1,730 square miles (4,500 km ), across the thinly populated deserts and mountains. It spans an area from south of the San Bernardino Mountains in San Bernardino Valley , to the Nevada border and the Colorado River . With

1363-610: The county that are part of the National Wilderness Preservation System . This is the largest number of any county in the United States (although not the largest in total area). The majority are managed by the Bureau of Land Management , but some are integral components of the above listed national protected areas. Most of these wilderness areas lie entirely within the county, but a few are shared with neighboring counties (and two of these are shared with

1410-400: The decision, only to lose in the state's appeals court. By 2022, term limits were restored and pay was restored to 80% of the annual base compensation for San Bernardino Superior Court judges under a supervisor lead ballot measure In 2022, The Board of supervisors were pushed by a major supervisor campaign contributor Jeff Burum to vote for secession from the State of California to form

1457-706: The department. The San Bernardino County Fire Protection District (SBCoFD) or the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District provides fire protection and emergency medical services to the unincorporated parts of the county and 24 incorporated cities. The department annexed the Crest Forest Fire Protection District on July 1, 2015; the San Bernardino City and Twentynine Palms Fire Departments on July 1, 2016; and

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1504-417: The following: California counties The U.S. state of California is divided into 58 counties . The state was first divided into 27 counties on February 18, 1850. These were further sub-divided to form sixteen additional counties by 1860. Another fourteen counties were formed through further subdivision from 1861 to 1893. The most recent county to form was Imperial County , in 1907. California

1551-701: The general public to serve on the commission. LAFCO funding is provided by local agencies and divided in one-third apportionments between the county, cities, and special districts with the latter amounts further divided among the individual agencies based on tax revenues. According to the Committee on Local Government of the California Senate, LAFCOs regulate all city and most special district boundaries, including these: LAFCOs do not directly regulate counties. There are also certain types of special districts that are exempt from LAFCO oversight. Among them are

1598-731: The neighboring states of Arizona and Nevada). Except as noted, these wilderness areas are managed solely by the Bureau of Land Management and lie within San Bernardino County: The 2010 United States Census reported that San Bernardino County had a population of 2,035,210. The racial makeup of San Bernardino County was 1,153,161 (56.7%) White , 181,862 (8.9%) African American , 22,689 (1.1%) Native American , 128,603 (6.3%) Asian , 6,870 (0.3%) Pacific Islander , 439,661 (21.6%) from other races , and 102,364 (5.0%) from two or more races. There were 1,001,145 people of Hispanic or Latino origin, of any race (49.2%). As of

1645-560: The northwestern part of the county, west of Death Valley . This national park, mostly within Inyo County , also has a small portion of land within San Bernardino County. The largest metropolitan area in the Mojave Desert part of the county is the Victor Valley , with the incorporated localities of Adelanto , Apple Valley , Hesperia , and Victorville . Further south, a portion of Joshua Tree National Park overlaps

1692-575: The population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 8.3% were of German , 5.5% English and 5.1% Irish ancestry. 66.1% spoke English , 27.7% Spanish and 1.1% Tagalog as their first language. There were 528,594 households, out of which 43.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.8% were married couples living together, 14.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.5% were non-families. 18.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.6% had someone 65 years of age or older living alone. The average household size

1739-503: The region from Mission San Gabriel . Spanish Missionaries from Mission San Gabriel Arcángel established a church at the village of Wa'aachnga, which would be renamed Politania in 1810. Father Francisco Dumetz named the church San Bernardino on May 20, 1810, after the feast day of St. Bernardino of Siena . The Franciscans also gave the name San Bernardino to the snowcapped peak in Southern California , in honor of

1786-514: The remainder belonging to minor political parties or declining to state. The county's primary law enforcement agency is the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department . The department provides law enforcement services in the unincorporated areas of the county and in 14 contract cities, operates the county jail system, provides marshal services in the county superior courts, and has numerous other divisions to serve

1833-613: The residents of the county. The county operates the San Bernardino County Consolidated Fire District (commonly known as the San Bernardino County Fire Department). The department provides "all-risk" fire, rescue, and emergency medical services to all unincorporated areas in the county except for several areas served by independent fire protection districts, and several cities that chose to contract with

1880-565: The saint and it is from him that the county derives its name. In 1819, they established the San Bernardino de Sena Estancia , a mission farm in what is now Redlands . Following Mexican independence from Spain in 1821, Mexican citizens were granted land grants to establish ranchos in the area of the county. Rancho Jurupa in 1838, Rancho Cucamonga and El Rincon in 1839, Rancho Santa Ana del Chino in 1841, Rancho San Bernardino in 1842 and Rancho Muscupiabe in 1844. Agua Mansa

1927-688: The state of Empire. In 2023, San Bernardino County Chief Executive Officer Leonard X. Hernandez resigned, claiming urgent family health issues, after being accused of having an affair with a county employee. After the accustation came out, the county placed Hernandez on Leave. After Hernandez resigned, Hernandez still got paid for one year after his departure. According to the California Secretary of State, as of February 2020, there were 1,016,190 registered voters in San Bernardino County. Of those, 410,197 (40.37%) were registered Democrats, 298,234 (29.35%) were registered Republicans, with

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1974-615: The state…'") and the property they hold is held on behalf of all the people of the state. As such, the State Legislature may delegate any of the functions of the State to the counties but likewise can reassume any delegated duties. California counties are general law counties by default. Still, they may be chartered as provided in Article XI, Section 3 of the California Constitution . A charter county

2021-469: The territory that the LAFCO independently believes represents the appropriate and probable future jurisdictional boundary and service area of the subject agency. All jurisdictional boundary changes and outside service extensions, notably, must be consistent with the subject agencies' spheres of influence, with limited exceptions. State law requires all 58 LAFCOs appoint their own executive officer who serves as

2068-501: Was 3.2 people, and the average family size was 3.6 people. The number of homeless in San Bernardino County grew from 5,270 in 2002 to 7,331 in 2007, a 39% increase. In the county, 32.3% of the population was under the age of 18, 10.3% was from 18 to 24, 30.2% from 25 to 44, 18.7% from 45 to 64, and 8.6% was 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.2 males. The median income for

2115-643: Was from the Cajon Pass to the city of Needles. In 1998, County administrator James Hlawek resigned after being subject to an FBI investigation for bribery, but only after Harry Mays, county Treasurer-Tax Collector Thomas O'Donnell, County Investment Officer Sol Levin and three businessmen had agreed to plead guilty to federal bribery charges. In 2004, County Supervisor Geral Eaves Pleaded guilty to bribery for accepting gifts from businesses for allowing billboards on county land. On November 4, 2008, San Bernardino County voted 67% for Proposition 8 , which amended

2162-655: Was part of an extensive trade network along the Mohave Trail that connected villages in San Bernardino County from the Colorado River to the Los Angeles Basin . Wá'peat was a Desert Serrano village located near what is now the city of Hesperia . It was part of a series of villages located along the Mojave River . By the late 1700s, villages in the area were being increasingly encroached upon by Spanish soldiers and missionaries, who were coming into

2209-538: Was the first town in what became San Bernardino County, settled by immigrants from New Mexico on land donated from the Rancho Jurupa in 1841. Following the purchase of Rancho San Bernardino , and the establishment of the town of San Bernardino in 1851 by Mormon colonists, San Bernardino County was formed in 1853 from parts of Los Angeles County . Some of the southern parts of the county's territory were given to Riverside County in 1893. According to

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